My name is Sophie Zeng. I am excited to be returning for the 5th year at SCIS as the mandarin Coordinator at ECE campus. I was born and grew up in Shanghai. I have taught both Mandarin and English as a foreign language to children from Pre-kindergarten to G12 (IB DP) and adults in China. In the coming school year, I will continue to teach the students at ECE. I love teaching the IB program, and I am also an PYP mandarin teacher and IB DP examiner. I love our SCIS community and continue to take our shared mission to heart by working together to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring learners who contribute positively to their communities.

Linda Zhang

Broadcast and Television University

Mandarin

Pudong Lower School

My name is Linda Zhang and I am a Mandarin teacher at the SCIS Pudong campus. I've been teaching for almost 25 years, and have experience at local and international schools. I love education and appreciate the opportunity to meet so many wonderful children, and work in such a great environment. I enjoy watching a child grow from I can't do this" to "I can", from "I don't know" to "I want to learn". And along with the students, I am growing too. Making every child feel that the teacher appreciates and loves him/her is what I hope to accomplish. Have a great year.

Dan Zimmerman

Suny Buffalo

Librarian

Hongqiao Campus

Hi, My name is Dan Zimmerman and this will be my 12th year with the SCIS schools. I was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but I have spend almost all of my life in the greater China area in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and now Shanghai. I have a bachelors degree in International Relation from Middle Tennessee State University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from University of Hong Kong, and a Masters Degree from SUNY Buffalo. In my time at SCIS I have taught beginners Mandarin, Preschool, Kindergarten, Grade 5, and now find myself with the great fortune of being the Campus Librarian. I live here with my wife, Hellen and our daughter, Anastasia, who loves being an SCIS Dragon just as much as I do!

Aurora Zosman

Florida International University

Pre-Kindergarten

Hongqiao Early Child Education Campus

My name is Aurora Zosman and I excitedly joined SCIS in 2015 as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher. I am a learner, a dreamer, and a creator who believes in the vastness of human potential. I grew up in Miami where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology at Florida International University, as well as my Lower Elementary Montessori certification. Prior to moving to Shanghai, I taught First, Second, and Third Grade at schools in both California and Florida. My hope as an educator is to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion for learning with them. The type of educational environment I create promotes active engagement, motivation, and independence, and develops creativity. I strive to strike their imagination and allow their curiosity to lead them on a path of discovery in constructing their knowledge. Each day provides a new beginning, and a new opportunity for me to make a difference in a child’s life; it is a great responsibility, and it is one that I am truly lucky and glad to have.
I am a lover of many things and I seek engaging in any and all foreign experiences, for I feel experience is the greatest teacher of all. I live for constant exploration and adventure, and fulfill this through travelling the world, reading, writing, and keeping an open mind and heart in all that I do. I am also an eclectic music lover who enjoys dancing, inner space [the oceans], stargazing and the infinite possibilities of the unknown. I look forward to an amazing year at the ECE campus here in Shanghai!